Wow. Google Street View is now available for the Grand Canyon, writes Robert T. Gonzalez for one of our all-time favourite sites, i09. The search engine giant strapped backpack-mounted cameras onto members of their team and sent them trekking through the Grand Canyon. The end result? Google Street View for Arizona’s great gorge, though a more accurate description would probably be “Trail View”; according to the official Google Blog, the company’s newly released interactive panoramas cover more than 75 miles of the Canyon’s footpaths and surrounding roads — and holy crap, are they breathtaking.
Take a walk down the narrow trails and exposed paths of the Grand Canyon: hike down the famous Bright Angel Trail, gaze out at the mighty Colorado River, and explore scenic overlooks in full 360-degrees. You’ll be happy you’re virtually hiking once you get to the steep inclines of the South Kaibab Trail. And rather than drive a couple hours to see the nearby Meteor Crater, a click of your mouse or tap of your finger will transport you to the rim of this otherworldly site.
This breathtaking imagery collection was made possible with the Trekker. Our team strapped on the Android-operated 40-pound backpacks carrying the 15-lens camera system and wound along the rocky terrain on foot, enduring temperature swings and a few muscle cramps along the way. Together, more than 9,500 panoramas of this masterpiece of nature are now available on Google Maps.
We’ve included a few of our favorite vistas from the roundup of recommended panoramas on Google’s freshly updated Street View Gallery, but with upwards of 75 miles of trails and sideroads, there’s tons more to explore. Go check it out.
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[via i09]
